RAY SMUTS ONE OF the most significant developments in the Western Cape clearing and forwarding industry in recent years has been the increasing reliance by the industry on the East for virtually all requirements, ignoring the domestic market in the process, says Robertson Freight’s Brian Robertson. The majority partner in what can at best be described as a remarkable success story since Robertson Freight first opened its doors in 1999, Robertson, 54, believes that China is a preferable sourcing destination, not only due to the exchange rate but also because it is what he terms an “easy” market. The foreshore-based company is already bringing into South Africa from China about 70 TEUs a month, comprising a variety of commodities ranging from white goods to toys and raw materials. The Asian powerhouse accounts for some 60% of Robertson Freight’s total business expected to generate turnover of around R100 million this year. (R70 million in 2006). A 36-year industry veteran who started out as a shipping clerk with Irvin and Johnson at age 18, Robertson is sharply critical of certain operators, including the logistics arm of a major shipping line, for “working clearing and forwarding agents off the face of the earth” by also handling exports on behalf of exporters. “I am not saying it is not their right, but it is also my right, as a competitor, to supply them with as little information as possible.” Robertson Freight is strictly family-run, with Brian heading up the Import department with his right-hand man, Rory Brickhill and Robertson’s son, Lyle. On the export front, Robertson Freight moves to all corners of the world about 50TEUs a month, but the African focus is on the west, those diamond and oil-rich nations such as Angola, DRC, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, to name but a few. Younger brother Neil heads up the export department, along with Robertson’s eldest daughter, Mia.
